Aprilia MotoGP bike surprises new signing Aleix Espargaro

Suzuki refugee Aleix Espargaro admits he was surprised with how good Aprilia’s MotoGP bike is, during his first test at Valencia.

Having been delayed in development, Aprilia’s RS-GP only turned a wheel for the first time five weeks before the 2016 season opener in Qatar.

While it generally spent the year testing in public, outgoing rider Alvaro Bautista recorded six top 10 finishes in the last seven races.

Espargaro got his first taste of the bike last Tuesday and Wednesday, setting the 14th and ninth fastest times – lapping within one second of the pace on day two – and was impressed with what he found.

“I’m really happy overall,” he said.

“I was expecting something a little worse but the bike is really competitive.

“From the first impression I really like it a lot. We know the direction we have to work in.